Match fixing attempt results in postpone the game by Sweden

Thursday’s top-flight game between Gothenburg and AIK is postponed by the Swedish Football Federation following a match-fixing attempt.

In a statement, Hakan Sjostrand, secretary general of the federation, said: “This is a very serious attack against Swedish football and we will never, never accept this.”

The statement said further said, one of AIK’s players had been offered “a large sum of money” in exchange for trying to ensure that the team loses the game against rivals Gothenburg.

It added, “With veiled threats, the fixer demanded that the player perform badly during the match against IFK Gothenburg.”

The fixing episode was found by the football federation on Wednesday (18th May) which immediately informed AIK, IFK Gothenburg and the police, who launched an investigation.

Sjostrand said, “The starting point for all of our games is that they’re safe and conducted in a sporting manner. Based on the information we’ve received, we cannot guarantee that the IFK Gothenburg and AIK game is a safe match.”

It is expected that the two teams, along with the Swedish football association will agree on a new date for the battle.

Sweden has been facing several match-fixing scandals in recent years with probes not always resulting in a conclusion.

IFK Gothenburg is Sweden’s second-most successful club and the only one to have won a European title (the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987).

With a difficult start this season, the club is presently at the 11th place in the championship after eight matches.